The Mercenary
"So it's true, then? I am azunite." - The Mercenary The Mercenary is the player-controlled protagonist of Dungeon Siege 2 and its expansion, Broken World. There is no pre-set name or title, and the player can choose to create the Hero from five different races: * Human (Male and Female) * Elf (Male and Female) * Dryad (Female only) * Half-Giant (Male only) * Dwarf (Male only, unlocked from the Broken World expansion) The player is free to choose which fighting-style suits them best, melee, ranged Nature magic or Combat magic, or a combination of all four. In Broken World, two additional classes has been added: Fist of Stone (combining melee and Nature magic) and Blood assassin (combining ranged and Combat magic). History Early life The Hero of the Second Age grew up in the Elven town of Aman'lu. Some of the friends the Hero had were the Elves Finala and Drianjul, as well as Drianjul's brother Drevin, who would become the Hero's best friend. The Hero would come to crave adventure, and when Valdis came to recruit mercenaries to fight for him, the Hero and Drevin joined him, lured by the promises of fame and wealth. The Shield of Azunai Their final battle for Valdis took place at Greilyn Island, home to the Dryads. Valdis' forces attacked the Temple of the Coast, defeating the defending Dryad forces, and Valdis claimed an ancient relic stored within. During the battle, Drevin gave the Hero a medallion, which had been in his family for generations, for safe-keeping. This turned out to be an act of foresight, as Valdis then betrayed his mercenaries, killing everyone except for the Hero, who was shielded from the strike by Drevin. Left for dead, the Hero was found by the Dryads and taken to their village of Eirulan. Amren, an Elf who had spied on the Hero during the battle, requested the Hero would be given a chance of redemption, and while the Dryads were reluctant to release a follower of Valdis, they complied and eventually freed the Hero from custody. Released from the Dryads and from Valdis' army, the Hero attempted to return home to Aman'lu, accompanied by followers of different races. Encountering an Azunite scholar, the Hero learned the First Age came to an end when the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth met in battle. Valdis believed the key to controlling this age was to gather the Aegis pieces, one of which was the relic taken from the Temple of the Coast. Setting on a new quest to gather the Aegis pieces before Valdis, the Hero traveled to Windstone Fortress, assisting the resistance there, before returning to Aman'lu, only to find the town in ruins. Valdis and his Dark Wizards had already been there, seeking the Aegis of Death, but instead learning that princess Evangeline of the Northern Reaches had been there first, removing the Aegis by caravan. The Dark Wizards let loose a magical blast that destroyed Aman'lu, leaving only a few scattered survivors. The Hero attempted to track down the caravan, but found it had been attacked and the Aegis stolen by the Vai'kesh. Seeking out the Vai'kesh, the Hero defeated their warriors and leader, as well as a monster guarding the relic, before finally claiming the Aegis of Death. But the princess had been taken elsewhere: Impatient to rejoin the fighting, princess Eva had gone ahead of the caravan, only to be captured by the Dark Wizards and be brought to the Azunite Burial Grounds. The Hero defeated the sole Dark Wizard guarding her, and the princess joined the Hero. With the rest of their followers, they made their way to Snowbrook Haven just as the Morden army were laying siege on the castle. The Hero assisted in the defense, even slaying a dragon, but the castle was ultimately lost when the Dark Wizards sent their Shard Souls upon the resistance. With the resistance crushed, it was all the Hero could do to claim the Aegis of Blindness and flee through a portal to Kalrathia. In Kalrathia, the Hero learned the Morden were occupying the city. The Hero restored the town's water, then ventured to the Morden city of Darthrul to negotiate with its chieftain. The meeting ended in bloodshed, and the Hero killed the chieftain, reporting these news to the Kalrathian leader. Inspired, the Kalrathian people rose up against their Morden oppressors, and the city leader gave the Hero the Aegis of Sight. Next, the Hero went into the Mines of Kaderak, seeking the last Aegis which was in the hands of the Dark Wizards. Confronting three of the wizards at once, the Hero emerged victorious, and could claim the final Aegis, the Aegis of Life, which the Hero ironically had helped Valdis seize in the first place. Although the Kalrathian leader was murdered by his adviser, he was able to aid the Hero one final time - by giving the Hero directions to the ancient Agallans, the only ones able to reforge the Shield. While the Agallans were reluctant at first - believing history would repeat itself, and the Second Age would come to an end as the First Age did - they changed their minds when they realized the Hero held the Lost Fragment - a piece of the Shield lost during the first forging, which would enable it to meet the Sword of Zaramoth: Drevin's medallion. With the end finally in sight, the Hero stormed Valdis' ancient fortress of Zaramoth's Horns, defeating Valdis' hordes and what was believed to be his Archmage, until finally facing Valdis himself. There, the Hero was met with betrayal: The Azunite scholar who had helped the Hero on several occasions turned out to be none other than a Dark Wizard. However, the betrayal went both ways: Valdis, too, had been betrayed. It was the Dark Wizard who had placed the visions in Valdis' head which made him seek out Zaramoth's Sword, and convinced Valdis that he was Zaramoth reborn. The Dark Wizard had manipulated both sides into reacquiring the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth, in order to bring about the Endtime. The Sword shattered upon the Shield, which brought about the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third. The Dark Wizard escaped with the Shield, and the Hero were left to defeat and kill Valdis. Zaramoth's Horns crumbled upon Valdis' death, and the Hero escaped through a portal just in time. Broken World The Hero is seen next a year later. With the world in shatters after the Endtime, the Hero had been on traveling foot, eventually coming to the Dryad Outpost. The Dryads, having been forced to flee when Greilyn Island sank into the sea, were reluctantly accepting refugees under their guard, and the Hero learns one of the refugees had been driven mad after being instructed by a scholar. The Hero, suspecting the scholar is the Dark Wizard in disguise, tracks him down, and learn the Dark Wizard is an Overmage of the Cinbri, seeking to return his people to Aranna. The Hero returns to Aman'lu, attempting to rally the Elves against the Overmage, but instead finding them dispirited and under siege by the familiars - ancient creatures that ones preyed upon the Elves, and were locked away by Istaura, Isteru and Lorethal. While able to defeat the creatures, the Elves refuse to join the Hero's quest to stop the Overmage. Their leader Danadel allows the Hero to go to Solanum, a newly built Dryad city, but only for the Hero to find that the Overmage has already tricked the Dryads, taking them through a portal. Following them through the portal, the Hero ends up in Glorydeep, a Dwarven mine that had been overtaken by the Overmage and his familiars, forcing the Dwarves to rebuild the Cinbri City. Allying with the Dwarves, the Hero fights through the mines and halls into the city, eventually finding the Overmage surrounded by his Dryad captives. Sacrificing nearly all of them, the Overmage turns into Zaramoth reborn, wielding the broken fragments of Zaramoth's Sword, but is defeated by the Hero, thus ending the final threat to Aranna. Final Fate Following the events of Broken World and the defeat of the Overmage, nothing is known whatsoever about the fate of the Hero of the Third Age. They are not mentioned in the Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony or in Dungeon Siege III. However it is confirmed that they defeated the Overmage. Trivia * The Hero's past and family is only vaguely mentioned (namely that the player's family perished when Valdis attacked Aman'lu) during the games, so there isn't anything but the player's own personal opinions that restrict or influence the choice of race, class or gender when creating the Hero. * The Azunite Spirit claims that the Hero is a descendant of Azunai, and the Dark Wizards call the Hero Azunai, alive again and wrapped in new flesh. * The Dungeon Siege 2 trailer depicts several characters not encountered in the game. These could possibly be variations of the Hero, or player characters in the multiplayer. Category:Characters